Divine
by LotusLines
Summary: Combat is King, Death before Dishonor. Brittany never belonged, Santana never wanted to, finding solace in each other may be the only fate that can save them both. Brittana AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I swear she looks familiar, like someone I knew in a past life, or maybe from too long ago. Her dark hair swishes out of her braid with every jerk of her head; she's beautiful. As she kneels her legs tense and I can admire just how toned they are; she's stunning. Her eyes are focused and determined, sparing no attention to the multitude of eyes on her, because every set must be as entranced as I am; she's perfect.

A bell rings, and the hypnosis is complete.

I watch as she leaves the platform, and my legs instinctively follow in her direction. There has to be some way to talk to her, some way to ask if I look as familiar to her as she does to me.

"Excuse me."

I feel a firm hand wrapped around my left arm, demanding and unnerving in its bold gesture. Traveling further up the arm I recognize a smiling face with heavily gelled slicked-back hair.

"You're not allowed back there without identification." He asserts, his smile unwavering, his hand, still firmly grasping my arm, tells me he knows I have none.

"I'm-" I search past him in the girl's direction, only catching a glimpse of her dark eyes as she assesses the situation, then hurriedly shuffles away.

"…I'm sorry…" I feel my shoulders drop from disappointment, and the tension the man created so quickly is dissolved.

"Listen, she's actually extremely welcoming to girls who are as pretty as you, so maybe I can go ask her if she'll talk to you?" He whispers quietly in my ear despite the roaring sound that surrounds us, by his tone I can tell he has done this more than once.

I stare into his eyes, trying to analyze the situation, trying to tell if this is some sort of trick, maybe how they get girls to participate in this sort of thing in the first place, "What do I have to do?" I ask, skeptical, but with half my mind lost in the thoughts of seeing the girl again.

He smiles as if he expected the reply, "Nothing. Santana just actually likes talking to pretty girls. I have nothing to say about what she may want you to do though." He mumbles the last part, almost in a disapproving manner, and I wonder just how close the two are, maybe he can recognize me too.

"Do you know me?" I blurt out, desperate for some connection to the girl.

His brow furrows and he gives me a once over, "I don't think so, should I?"

My shoulders drop again and there's a definite frown on my face, but I try to hide it. He's being too nice for me to be this sad.

"Hey, cheer up, I'll go ask her right now, ok?" He pats my shoulder, and gives me one more smile before disappearing into the corridor.

I'm wondering about it all when I feel a tap on my shoulder, "Where you been? I was watching and when I looked back you disappeared."

My eyes meet blue and I smile as he passes me a notepad and pen, "You also left this, I thought you were a serious reporter, Britt, taking on your first assignment."

Sam smiles to signal he's joking, and I give a polite smile back, not exactly enthused by the familiarity he addresses me with, we had only known each other a week after all. My eyes can't help but travel back to the corridor, hoping for the guard to return.

"She was amazing, wasn't she?" he casually slips in, "Really makes you wonder about how much she practices."

I nod, because after all she was amazing, but I try not to think about how everyone else was watching her in the same way that I was.

"So anyway, I was wondering if maybe after this we can go get a drink or some-"

"Hold that thought." I interrupt, knowing exactly what he was implying, but that's not important right now, the guard is back and by the smile on his face I get more excited. I slip the notepad and pen into my back pocket.

"Good news, she wants to talk to you." He states, and his eyes harden as he switches his gaze to Sam, "Unfortunately, it can only be you who comes back to see her."

Sam seems offended, and puffs out his chest a bit at the smaller man, but the guard remains unwavering, his eyes getting colder by the second. I set a hand on Sam's shoulder, "It's okay, I can go alone. Just go ahead and head home."

Sam's demeanor falls a bit, "Are you sure? This isn't the best of neighborhoods to leave a girl alone in."

I smile, genuinely appreciative of his care, but his chivalry is a bit off-putting, that behavior is reserved to only those who you care about after all, "I'll be okay, I'll just get a cab home or something, they'll come straight to the door."

He's hesitant, but one more nod has him agreeing, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at work, right?" His blue eyes shine and I nod again, the polite smile once again gracing my face.

As soon as he turns around, my head spins toward the guard, "Can I see her right now?"

His eyes are soft once again, "Yes, just follow me."

As he walks, I follow closely, the corridor holding more rooms than I had expected, a total of eight. He walks with purpose and I can only glance at the different colored doors, a gold star on one, a blank white scene on another, a purple and black striped door, a portrait of Ares on another.

"I have to warn you," the guard starts, before stopping at a solid black door, "Santana isn't the nicest of girls, and she's very straight-forward. You might get offended by how she is, but she's somewhat better if you get to know her."

The disclaimer has me confused, but I accept it anyway with a nod, "Thank you…"

"Blaine." He finishes with a smile. "And please, hopefully I'll be thanking you." Once again he mumbles the end of his sentence before knocking on the door, which I notice actually has lace on the outer edges.

"Santana,…" he looks to me expectedly and I whisper, "Brittany"

"Brittany is here to see you. I'll be heading back to the front." he says, telling both of us. "Good luck." He whispers before walking away quickly.

I hear shuffling behind the door, and when it's opened I can't help but notice how little she has on, a black lace bra with a matching thong. She looks me up and down and I can practically hear the wheels spinning in her head as she rates me from one to ten.

"Definitely a ten, you probably need to take off all these layers to make sure, though." She says after a pause, and I gulp to relieve my dry mouth.

She turns around giving full view of her ass as she walks further into the room, I follow the hypnosis still in full effect. "Blaine said your name was Brittany, right?"

I clear my throat to make sure I don't stutter, "Yes."

She smirks and I feel myself melt a bit, "I'm Santana, it's nice to meet you." She extends her hand and I hurry to take it.

"It's nice to meet yo-" she pulls me in close, and I'm spun around, and backed against a table before I can finish my sentence.

"So what made you want to meet Divine's underground fighting champion, Brittany?"

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AN: Just a clarification, this is an alternate universe, and it doesn't follow the ideas/norms of most of our reality. However, it's not supernatural or sci-fi at all, it's mainly different from a cultural standpoint. BTW chapters might not always be this short, but it really just depends on what's happening. Anyway, THANK YOU FOR READING, and an update may come very quickly.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

 _"I'm gracing you with an opportunity, Sparkles." Sue's tone reminds me of all the teachers I used to have, annoyed, frustrated, and tired. "Since the other girl said that she doesn't want to risk her reputation by being seen with UGers, I'm letting you take the risk."_

 _My mouth is open slightly, and Sue watches it with a growing rage, "You have two seconds to decide before I find someone else for the job."_

 _"Yeah, I'll do it." the words fall out, my disbelief not allowing me to keep my professionalism. Following the best underground fighting ring in the state, it's less of a job than an honor. If only my high school mixed martial arts teacher could see me now, he would probably claim that I didn't deserve such an honor as to be so close to such distinguished fighters. Some of them have been recognized by the country, awarded on several brackets against other countries. Even if they weren't chosen by the head of state, they could still probably stand with their best for a few rounds. And now Sue just gave me a personal pass to watch every hit, every kick, every throw, it's unbelievable._

 _"Thank you, ma'am. I can't even begin to-"_

 _"Then don't." She interrupts, then gestures to the blonde man sitting behind her. "This is Sam, he will be your informant and cameraman. He knows a bit about the Divine UG League, and he will make sure that you get a decent looking documentary."_

 _She leans in, and her eyes narrow,"I need an excellent report on this, this is the first time a champion of a UG League has declined military service, this-" she checks her notes below her, "Santana Lopez, is as unorthodox as they come. Her style is reckless, dangerous, and severely frowned upon by everyone else in her League. She's broken more bones than any other fighter in the country, and she shows no respect to either her teacher or her gym. To top it all off, now she's refused to fight for her country in Pankration, our most honored service among war. I'd respect her consistency if it wasn't so openly disgraceful."_

 _I bite at my bottom lip, nervous about the new assignment, if I disrespect her in any way will she summon a duel? I've never been summoned before, but I would definitely lose horrifically, then my father would be even more disappointed than he already is…_

 _"Sparkles, are you listening?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am." I reply quickly._

 _"Good. Now this is a three month assignment, it must be extremely thorough. I need you to find out three whys : why she fights so recklessly, why she refuses to respect her teacher and gym, and most importantly, why she refused to serve in Pankration. If you find nothing else, I need these three pieces of information. I don't care how you get it, but figure them all out, or I'm definitely firing you."_

 _Her words make my heart drop into my stomach, succeed and be set for life as a reporter for The Underground Script or fail and lose any opportunity for my dream career, not to mention proving every teacher and my father right about me. There's no way I'm letting this pass._

 _"Are you still up for the job, Sparkles? You're only 21, you've just stopped mandatory training, and if you want to make it in the high tier of this career, you could still slowly make your way up. It doesn't have to be a straight shot to the top." her gaze is critical, but understanding enough if I were to decline the job._

 _The blonde boy behind her nods in agreement, but they both don't understand. A shot to the top is exactly what I need. I need to show someone that I'm worthy of this, that I'm capable of something, even if I'm not a fighter, and I definitely need to do it soon._

 _"I'll take the job, ma'am."_

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"So what made you want to meet Divine's underground fighting champion, Brittany?"

Her words send shivers down my spine, or is it how close she is as she says them? I can't think straight and I feel a burning want escape from my lips as I let a slow, shaky breath out.

"Pl-please…" I manage to sigh out.

I see her dark eyes get darker and she pushes me slightly harder against the table behind me, I gasp and lick my lips, every attempt to control myself leaving my body.

"Is this okay?" she asks respectfully, and I almost say yes before I catch a glimpse of a scar on her bottom lip, and I suddenly remember why I'm here.

"Do I know you?" I ask fully remembering the simmering familiarity I feel to her.

Her eyebrow quirks up and she backs off of my body, allowing me the space to breathe again, "I already introduced myself didn't I?"

I shake my head, but quickly switch to nodding, "No-I mean yes, but that's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?" she asks with an ounce of annoyance, but it's extremely hard to notice as she stands with her arms crossed in front of her half-naked body.

"I mean, do you know me?" she stares with the same confusion, so I continue, "Have we met before?"

She looks me up and down as she saunters closer, my body heating with each step, "I think I'd remember a girl with a body like yours…"

She aims to corner me against the table again, but I insist on getting a definite answer, "I didn't always have this body, though. I used to be a twig before mandatory training, do you think you knew me before around 9 years ago?"

She sighs, and stops closing the distance between us, "Usually the girls Blaine sends in don't actually have something to say to me."

She stares as if expecting an answer or at least for me to continue asking questions, "I don't know what to tell you, I don't think I've ever seen you before," she closes the distance with a quickness that's to be expected from a UG fighter, her arms are locking me in place against the table once again and her lips are on my ear as she whispers, "but I would love to get to know you for the rest of this night, would that be okay with you?"

I'm losing control of my breathing, perfection is almost impossible to resist and I'm feeling its effect on me right now, but before I can respond the door slams open.

"Santana, we need to have a word-" a blonde is in the doorway and I immediately recognize her as the fight that went before Santana's, "Ew. Santana, tell your groupie to leave, I'm not in the mood to have this conversation with a bystander."

"Quinn-" Santana starts, but I cut her off.

"It's okay, it must be because second place isn't used to groupies." I nod, completely understanding why Quinn Fabray, second in the Divine UG League, would be apprehensive towards a stranger in a Fighter's Room.

Santana starts to laugh and I swear it's exactly the sound angels would make, it almost lets me forget about the searing death stare that Quinn gives me from the other side of the room. Her mouth is slightly open , her eyes narrowed, and an eyebrow is quirked signaling that I obviously said something wrong to piss her off.

"You obviously don't know how this place works do you? Santana may be number one, but I own this place, and I can make sure you never are allowed a step near this building again. I would be so easy to-"

"Alright, alright, relax, Quinn. Don't you see her face? She has absolutely no idea she even said anything wrong." Santana intervenes and I'm extremely grateful that she understood my confusion.

"I'm sorry, UG Fabray." I start, making sure to use the most honorable address for the blonde, "I didn't mean to offend you in any way."

Her eyes get even more narrow, and it vaguely reminds me Sue's piercing stare, her green eyes search my blue and I dare not to look away.

"Fine." Her gaze finally lets up, "I can tell you didn't actually mean anything by it, even though I'm amazed how you don't see anything offensive about what you said."

She turns her head back to Santana, "Anyway, the press you just gave this League is atrocious, if our top respects nothing, how can any of the Fighters below her respect anything. The way that you're acting implies everything about our League, no wonder that girl was so desperate to defeat you. Lasting up to 8 rounds is ridiculous, and you letting her continue with a handicap as big as two bleeding eyes is even more ridiculous. It makes you look bad, Santana, like you can't knock out a fucking blind person. You should have ended that fight in the 3rd round, it proves nothing to show that you can play with your food."

As Quinn goes off on her rant, Santana seems to be paying less than zero attention. I continuously feel her eyes trickle back to me, and I feel my face heat because of it. Her thoughts are obvious as she smirks in my direction and I can't help but smile towards the ground.

"I swear to Ares, you better start fucking listening Santana, and stop eye-fucking…" she pauses and stares expectedly.

"Brittany Pierce."

"Brittany. You are a direct reflection of everyone else in the DUGL, and I swear if the government ends up shutting us down, because Ares knows they don't respect UG Leagues as much as they do the Professionals, everyone's financial needs will be on your shoulders. Are you prepared to handle that?" She finally finishes, and Santana slowly turns her head away from me, but not before giving a sly wink.

"I got it, Quinn. No more fucking around, can you leave now?" She asks turning her gaze back to me.

Quinn sighs in exasperation before opening the door to leave, "Look, I understand why you refused, but please just try to think about how everything you do effects the others?"

My ears perk up at the reminder of the refusal, the real reason I'm here, and I feel my notepad burning a hole in my back pocket. I glance towards Santana and I can see her jaw is clenched and her eyes avoiding contact with either one of us in the room, obviously a touchy subject.

"I care about you, Santana, and I know, despite everything you say, you care about us, try to think before you risk everything for everyone, okay?" With those parting words she leaves.

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AN: Okay, so there's some things to digest in this, if there's any questions about the type of society they're living in I'm completely open to answering so long as it doesn't spoil anything for the future. There will be more revealed in the future, also. I don't have a set updating schedule for this, but I can tell you shorter chapters will be updated faster than longer chapters, so if you want to tell me what you'd prefer that'd be great. THANK YOU FOR READING.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Blaine is so stupid. He sent in a girl without any idea of what she even wanted to ask me, even worse than that he probably didn't even do a real check. She could be an assassin for all we know, and our guard just opened the door for her. Then again, I trail up and down her long legs all the way up to shining blue eyes, and blonde hair, she doesn't seem to be much of a threat. She's around 21, since she started mandatory training around 9 years ago, so she's the same age as me. At least, I think that's what she said. When did I actually start listening to the things girls sent to my room said anyway?

I glance back to Quinn who's ranting my ear off, and try to make it as discreet as possible that I'm trying to cover my ears. I turn my gaze back to Brittany, obviously not a Fighter, maybe even failed a couple of classes based on how slow she reacted to me. Definitely cute though, our eyes connect and I give her a confident smirk, making her face turn red and her eyes avert to the floor. Oh, she's definitely very cute.

"Are you prepared to handle that?" Quinn says, and I try to vaguely recall her words.

"I got it, Quinn. No more fucking around, can you leave now?" I reply my annoyance surpassing the valuable ignoring skills I've acquired these past four years.

She continues and I don't really hear it until, "Look, I understand why you refused, but please just try to think about how everything you do effects the others?"

I feel my body tense, I'm done fucking around, and I know both her and Brittany can feel it, I'm grateful that Quinn leaves a second later, but it leaves a tension in the room that I'm not quite ready to break.

"Umm, UGC Lopez." Brittany mutters, obviously afraid of my reaction, I feel my shoulders relax, her voice sending a calm over my body that is completely unfamiliar. My eyes jerk towards her, and she looks terrified that she may have said something wrong again, but honestly I'm just surprised. There's only one other person who's had such a calming effect on me before…

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Brittany's POV

I'm terrified by the look she's giving me. I know she's unorthodox, but if she's also aggressive, she might summon a duel just to blow off some steam. I remember the kids who would summon as soon as they were able to, 14 year olds fighting just to release the pent up rage of hormones, the girls would always pick me, I hated how they just knew how to spot the weak link, then again that was just another part of classes that I just didn't get.

"You don't have to use honorifics with me." I hear pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I answer spectacularly.

"UGC, you don't have to use it with me, honorifics are only for those with a complex about their abilities. I haven't met one Fighter that cared for them that could beat me." she continues, and I notice that she now has on a pair of black sweats along with a white tank top. "Anyway, I have to go, we leave for a different state tomorrow, and I have to be up bright and early to train." She rolls her eyes as she says this, and it makes me wonder about how she's become the best with such an uncaring attitude.

"It was nice meeting you, Brittany, even if we'll probably never see each other again." She says, and I can spot a twinge of disappointment in her voice, maybe I've managed to make an impression on her after all.

As I shift to get up from my seat I feel the notepad in my back pocket once again, honestly it's incredibly easy to forget what I'm supposed to be doing when I'm staring at her and talking to her; I lose all train of thought. "I'll actually be at all your fights for the next three months."

Her eyes illuminate, and I swear I've never been looked at the way she looks at me now, almost like she sees something else, but just as quickly as it came it's masked by a smirk and a scoff, "I guess I can deal with a stalker as pretty as you."

My ears turn red as I shake my head rigorously, "No-wait- that came out wrong. I'm actually a reporter with The Underground Script."

I watch as the bright eyes that stared at me before sink into darkness, and I consider whether or not it was the best idea to tell her so early.

"So, that makes sense about the questions you wanted to ask, I knew Blaine should have screened you." She grabs her stuff in a bag labeled DUGL, and makes her way towards the door, "I'm not into answering any questions, also try not to bother me anytime soon, okay."

Her hand is on the doorknob, but I scramble with my absolute best effort to stop her and manage to grab her bag's strap before she can leave, "Please, I'm not trying to pry into your personal life." Not really, at least, "I just want to know your side of the story for all of this. I really feel like there's something you want to-no- need to say. Everyone thinks you're just dishonoring everyone and everything our country stands for, but I really feel like you're not a bad person. Everyone has their own story to tell, and I don't want yours to be written by people who only know the government's side. This is why I became a writer, I want Fighters' stories to be told, the story past the violen-" I stop my speech in its tracks, and my eyes widen in realization, she remains stone-faced, but looks at me with a small amount of disbelief.

Violence is a taboo word, it implies that there's something wrong with fighting, a negative connotation to the most honorable art of our society. I've only said it once before, and the punishment was nothing short of excruciating.

"I-I-I'm sorry, UGC Lopez, I didn't mean-"

She puts her hand up, instantly stopping the apology I still feel so desperately to give. Her face is unreadable and I'm definitely prepared for a quick summon and a swift beating at the disrespect that I just showed this Championship Fighter. Her next words send me over the edge of distress, "It's okay, Brittany."

I dare not speak, or move just in case this is a trap.

"I said it's okay." She repeats setting a hand on mine that was holding her bag's strap, "I also said to not use an honorific with me."

She smirks, and I can breathe again, knowing she's being genuine, but the ultimate question remains of why this renowned Fighter doesn't care for what I just said.

"Look, as it turns out, your speech actually struck somewhat of a cord with me," my eyes widen and I think that maybe this assignment will be much easier that I originally thought, "but I still refuse to answer a lot of questions." Never mind.

"I respect what you're trying to do, but to have this story in the spotlight, isn't the greatest idea for me and my family, however, I do want to see you again, so I'm looking forward to these next three months. It's pretty hard to resist a girl like you." She flirts, a genuine smile gracing her face for the first time since I've seen her, and I swear to Ares my heart stops. I try to say something as she leaves, but there's no words for this type of girl, Santana Lopez is definitely a unique Fighter with a story, and I'll be damned to Hades if the world doesn't know it.

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Sam is relentless. He's constantly asking the same questions for work, and he doesn't seem to understand that no part of me is interested. Even worse, he seems to not be able to understand that what happened in Santana's Fighter Room is off-limits. Almost as if he knows something that I don't about it.

"Girls typically don't come out of UGC Lopez's room for at least two hours, and apparently you were only in there for one." He seems to be reassuring himself of something, but at this point I don't care what it is. His comment about the girls, however, makes me wonder about how many girls Blaine usually sends to Santana's room.

"How did you know how many hours I was in the room? That's really weird." I state, because obviously I didn't tell him.

"Oh…" his face is bright red, and he mumbles the next words, "I asked one of the girls about it later, I think her name was Tina… Honestly, I wasn't being weird, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He seems genuine, but again I wonder why. We're not blood, and we're also not close enough to be cared about. His display of chivalry is almost disrespectful to my honor, even if I'm weaker than most others, I still have pride.

"Are you insulting my strength?" I was always one to speak my mind, so his overwhelming surprise isn't much a shock to me, I'm used to the look.

"No, Brittany, I swear there's no way that I doubt your abilities, I'm sorry, I always have this problem. Girls are smaller so it makes me feel like they need more protection, even if we're all trained to handle any size opponent, I just feel like it's the right thing to do."

I do feel bad for him, because he does seem nice enough, but if any other girl heard this he'd probably be summoned to a duel on the spot. "Listen, just try not to imply that girls are so much weaker than men, okay? The MMA teachers specialized our training to deal with men who are much stronger and bigger than us, even if they're also trained. So I'll be fine." I don't mention how I did not do well in any of those courses because I couldn't manage to effectively flip a guy, but he doesn't ask questions so it doesn't matter.

"Our flight will be landing soon, please reattach your seatbelt and turn off all electronics."

I do as the pilot says and glance at Santana in the front row of the plane, her earphones are still in, and I debate throwing something at her to get her attention, I've been wanting to talk to her all day, but Sam kept on getting in the way. I see Quinn on her side yank out her earbuds, and smile a sarcastic grin at her from across the aisle, while Santana glares at the blonde with contempt, a small smile formed on her lips.

"We have now arrived at the Royal State UG Division, please wait until the plane comes to a full stop before unbuckling your seatbelt."

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AN: I want to make it clear that this doesn't reflect my ideas on gender equality and things involving it, but I wanted to make a little bit of a clearer picture of the type of society they're living in, and their ideas on gender equality. Once again, any questions that want to be cleared up can be asked and THANK YOU FOR READING.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"If I had known you were a reporter, I probably would have been ordered to kick you out on the spot yesterday." Blaine jokes as he takes his strides ahead of me, but a loud voice tells me he's being completely honest, especially after how Santana acted once she found out.

"Honestly, I wasn't supposed to be there. My job was supposed to start today, I just wanted to see the Fighter I'd be following for the next three months." I respond, trying to explain why I didn't have my press pass.

"Well, either way it's fine with me. I heard a tiny rumor that Santana seemed to like you though." he smiles, genuinely happy about something I'm not quite sure about.

"Really?" I question with disbelief. I couldn't get any sort of read on Santana, and if there's one thing I'm good at, it's reading people. It's how I knew who to avoid for the past couple of years, and why I wanted to be a reporter.

"Definitely," he nods assuringly, "Santana never talks about anyone I send back, but you must have said something that caught her attention. What did you say to her any-"

"Miss Pierce." a powerful voice approaches from across the gym, cutting off Blaine effectively and redirecting my attention towards her.

"UG Fabray." I reply respectfully, still unsure of whether or not she hates me.

"You should do a better job of introducing yourself next time, I wasn't aware you were the reporter sent to shadow Santana." she declares with a curt tone that almost guarantees she hates me, but she continues, "You were, however," she pauses and analyzes me slowly, "exactly what I was hoping for. I hope you have an effective three months with us, Brittany." she smiles next and I notice how pretty she is when she isn't trying to bite someone's head off.

Before I can say my thanks she's already switched back to the roaring dragon, yelling at a girl with black and blue hair that her kicks weren't nearly as powerful as they should be. The gym is full of each of Divine's underground fighters, highly trained Fighters who defeated everyone that was sent their way without hesitation to be here. In one corner, I notice a particularly vocal UG that made it painfully obvious that she was training with each punch as her voice rang out.

"Do you want me to introduce you to all the Fighters?" Sam approaches me cautiously from behind, ever since our talk on the plane he's been much more careful with his words, an action I appreciate a lot.

"Who is she?" I gesture towards the loud girl in the corner, to which Sam looks at me surprised.

"I understand why you don't really know the others, they don't really deal with the press, but haven't you watched any of the UG interviews?" I shake my head embarrassed, and trying to avoid the fact that I tend to stay away from the typical networks on fighting, "That's UG Rachel Berry. She does an interview at least once a week to promote the DUGL; she's basically their spokesperson with the guidance of UG Quinn Fabray, who you've already met I guess."

I nod, and it makes slight sense as I see Quinn approach Rachel and whisper something in her ear. Rachel smiles lightly and nods, as she continues her jabs she's noticeably quieter.

"I think I'll go talk to her since she's the spokesperson." I say and start to move away.

"I'll go with you." Sam says excitedly, but I turn to face him.

"Actually, I think I want to go alone." I start, and he seems to deflate a bit, "It's just that I don't really want a 'spokesperson' response. I just want to talk to her." I finish, gesturing slightly towards the giant camera at his side.

He nods, and I almost feel bad as I go to walk away.

As I cross the room, I feel a searing pair of eyes follow me and turn in their direction. I'm met with dark chocolate eyes that look not at all surprised by my red cheeks. Santana is distracting to say the least. I particularly felt her stare while I was talking to Sam, almost like she was urging me to turn around, but decided to try and ignore it. Now that I'm not talking to anyone though, I can't help but let my eyes wander to the ring that she's sparring in, it's borderline ridiculous how much she's not paying attention to her opponent. I almost let out a gasp when I see the other girl aim for a low sweep towards the back of her legs, but her response is…well it's exactly what you'd expect from a nearly undefeated UG Champion.

I half expect a block with her shin, but I seriously underestimated the reaction speed of the champion. Her opponent has no time to respond as Santana takes a slight step back and glides her leg over the sweep. As her attempt is in full motion, Santana moves behind the girl's shin and propels the power out of proportion with her own kick towards the back of the attacking leg. Within half a second, the girl is face down on the ground, her flip and pounding on the mat too loud for anyone to ignore in the gym. At least that's what I was thinking, but from the response of the other Fighters this is as normal as the others pounding on their sandbags.

I stare in astonishment for one more second, allowing Santana to turn her attention back to me and spare me a wink. My cheeks turn even more red and I quickly turn back to Rachel's direction determined to calm down by the time I reach the girl.

Taking out my notepad from my back pocket, I take a deep breathe as I approach her sandbag. Her attention immediately shifts from the bag to myself and I'm slightly unnerved by her newfound, unwavering gaze.

"Hello, I'm-"

"Brittany Pierce." She grins so wide that there's no possible way it's natural, "Rachel Berry, as I'm sure you know, but for the record I will of course, introduce myself. Divine UG Fighter number 3, behind only the infamous Santana Lopez and the General Quinn Fabray, however I'm surely on my way to the top." She adds with a wink, "Only 19, joining just last year, but I've quickly climbed the ranks already, if that's not evidence of my talent enough. Are there any questions you have prepared for me?"

She waits with visible impatience, and I can do little more than wonder how I've never heard of the UG before, they're never quite so chipper as the one before me. I scramble to write down her information, and glance up to notice Rachel peering over my notepad with unashamed curiosity. "Umm…" I mutter, slightly moving the notepad back and away from her sight, "I was wondering if you could tell me about your Champion?"

Her physique is noticeably less enthused as she hears my question, "Santana? She's an…indescribable fighter. Her methods aren't exactly what I would be choosing, but I can not deny their effectivity. Her people skills on the other hand are questionable to say the least, and I'm unsure of whether or not she's ever had any experience with the press before because she's such a pariah in the community. Unlike me, I know exactly how to respond to any sort of question presented before me. Our honorable UGC, however, seems to be in want of such a trait as practically everyone has recognized with her refusal of PK." she finishes and I'm sure that even in shorthand I'm having trouble keeping up with her unrelenting pace. It's almost as if she doesn't have to breathe between sentences.

"About her refusal…" I creep towards the topic, and I notice a shift in the teen's face. So even their loudest member avoids the topic, interesting, "what can you tell me about it?"

I decide to leave the question vague allowing the girl to say whatever she feels like, I am here to just talk after all. To emphasize my point I fold up the pad and return it to my back pocket.

"I really can't say much." she seems to be grateful of my putting away the notepad, as her smile is slightly more genuine, "only that it truly is Santana's story to tell."

She approaches slightly closer to me, and whispers to my ear, "I do urge you to get it out of her, however, I feel it's vital to everything Divine stands for."

"Rachel!" Quinn's voice is impossible to ignore, Rachel did call her the General after all. "Your turn to spar."

She lights up with a different shine than when I first approached, one I can't deny is captivating to see, the utter and complete passion and determination evident on her face.

"I'm sorry, but I must go. I encourage your cameraman to take pictures." she smiles once more and turns towards the ring.

Now that Santana is out of the ring it's even more obvious that she hasn't stopped watching me. Even going so far as almost walking up to me as Rachel leaves, but Blaine stops her and barely pulls her attention back to the pads with a jab to the head.

I decide to watch Rachel's sparring session as the bell rings for them to start.

We were all trained from an early age, just like every other State's young children, and one of the first lessons was that your fighting style will always translate from your persona. Always make sure you are calm and composed, or you'll see just how much you'll suffer for it in the ring. I didn't really understand at the time, but now, watching Rachel's relentless barrage, it's impossible to ignore.

Her jabs are quick and precise, against the obviously larger man that she's confronted with. Although he seems to be taking the hits rather well, every hit he tries to land is dodged with a technique that seems nothing if not meticulous. Each evasion leads into a counter that doesn't seem to have much power behind it, but watching the man's latest movements compared to his first, there's a notable change in agility.

Finally, he manages to power through one of Rachel's counters to land a heavy blow to her stomach. She leans over for a second, but quickly recovers without hesitation, her eyes gleam with the same sparkle I saw as they called her to the ring and not a second later she seems even more determined than before.

The man goes for another powerful hit, but the Fighter is expectant. She grabs his slower fist and pulls, turning swiftly with her body to land him on her back, using the momentum to catch the man off balance and flip him over her shoulder. He's on the mat, and instantly Rachel is on his chest ready to start her barrage once again.

"That's good, Rachel." Quinn intervenes before the man gets assaulted by the shorter girl. "Next time, maybe you can do it without getting hit." she says with a sharp tone, but since I have full access to her face I see the smile in her eyes.

"I would be honored if you would come up here and show me." Rachel teases, flashing a proud smile in between her breathing.

Quinn shakes her head with a light smile on her face now, "Maybe you should have been watching me instead of talking to a reporter?"

Rachel's face falls slightly and she jumps off the higher platform of the ring. She quickly walks over to Sam, probably to ask to see the pictures he got, and I try to approach Santana so I can ask a bit about her training process.

Maybe it'll be a lot easier to get an answer as to why she fights so… I think the words Sue used was unorthodox and reckless.

As I walk towards her, I feel her eyes shift from Blaine to myself. He tries to grab her attention again with a hit to her left, but her dodge and reaction pushes him away with a seriousness that is way too much for jabs. Taking the hint, he mumbles, "I'll just train with someone else…" before stalking off and shaking his head.

"So, Miss Reporter, do you have any questions for me?" she smirks, and I my blush threatens to reemerge before taking out my notepad once again.

"I'm not a real reporter, yet. This will be my first story." I reply quietly, but click my pen as I ask my question, "So that was pretty…different. A standard low sweep with that much power should have just been blocked."

She lifts an eyebrow and tilts her head slightly, "Where's the fun in that?"

I scoff in disbelief, and her eyebrow seems to elevate even higher, "Is that why you fight like that, because it's fun?"

"And what if I say yes." Santana challenges daring me with her eyes.

"I'd say there's no way that someone can be that committed to looking like they're not trying just for fun." I respond with a straight face, which has her taken back a bit, before she recovers.

"Alright, you got me. I don't fuck around just for kicks in the ring." the Champion admits, and I hold my breathe to hear the rest of her explanation, but it never comes.

"Why do you fight so recklessly then?" I ask getting much closer to her face than I had originally known, but just as I'm about to back up she closes the distance to only an inch apart.

"Wouldn't everyone like to know?" she drawls with a husk so close to my ear, that I can't help but imagine what I could be doing to her, or what she could be whispering to me, or how I could be feeling right now in the back of the changing room.

I close my eyes for a second to compose myself. Not the time for a sexy, mysterious girl to turn you on, Brittany. You're a journalist looking for answers.

I open my eyes to find that she's gone to the reflex bag with Blaine next to her telling her random facts that she probably would never listen to in a real fight. Sexy, mysterious, rebellious, and just my fucking type. It would be so damn perfect if my whole career didn't depend on this.

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AN: I'm sorry it's been awhile, and that it's not that much Brittana interaction. I want to set up a real story here though, with some minor characters that have something to say also, so please understand and have patience :] Once again, THANK YOU FOR READING.


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